Toy Food

Timpano

The Big Night Timpano. Actually called the Timballo, comes from the French word for Kettledrum. This is my second Timpano, with much more success. It's pretty much an upside-down Pot Pie filled with whatever you like.

Filling

The filling is always flexible. I streamlined this Timpano in an effort to save time. I start with fresh ground pork, the original recipe calls for sausage but I've made enough sausage to be able to grind my own. The tomato sauce is just pureed Roma tomatoes, some spices and a nice dose of Texas Red. I've replaced all Celery in my life with Red Swiss Chard, it looks and tastes better. The Layers are: Chard tops, Sliced Hard Boiled Eggs, Ricotta, Chard Stalks, Rigatoni. If time allows, stuff the Ricotta into the Rigatoni, then add a layer of Proscuitto.

The first Monday of the New Year came after eight days of work with a lot of overtime time. So I decided on a nice "Slow-and-Low" meal. A nice meal if you don't have anything going on for the day and want to catch up on movies or something.

8lbs of Pork Ribs for $30 seemed pretty good

Ribs

I like ribs, like most people, so why not start the New Year off with a feast. I don't have a set-up to BBQ, so I just toss them in an oven for a while.

I like my ribs on the sweet side so the dry rub with sugar and Chinese Five Spice. I like them sweet to offset the sour Texas Red Sauce that goes with it.

The Outlaw Texas Red

This is a sauce I've been experimenting with for some time. Even though it's a Texas Red it has more of a Carolina Vinegar taste to it. It's a combination of about 3 Different Red sauce recipes along with a lot of Chinese influence. The core is Ketchup, Apple Cider Vinegar and Lemon Juice, Brown Sugar, and Oyster Sauce. I always add Oyster sauce to meats, not only is it delicious but it has a very unique taste that is not really present in western and southern cooking.

Collard Greens with Pickle Meat about an hour into cooking

Collard Greens and Pickles

These are relatively new to me so both recipes would be not too different from "Like-Ya-Momma-Made." I had made Pickle Meat for Red Beans and Rice a little while ago and mixed that into the Collard Greens instead of Turkey Necks. I also added my usual picking spices to the cucumbers just so they didn't taste so generic.

Cornbread

I can't have ribs without Cornbread. Your standard cornbread recipe but I made own "Texas Butter" for the smear. I take ~ a cup of Texas Red with Corn Syrup, Brown Sugar, White Sugar, and Butter until you get a nice reduction.

At the end of the night, the kitchen is a mess, everyone's eyes are heavy, and you think "I don't know if I would count Collard Greens and Pickles as a vegetable at this point"